Posted on another site by KellyB

Expert Discussion Strength Training
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The acute effects of heavy back and front squats on speed during forty-meter sprint trials.J Strength Cond Res. 2008 Jan;22(1):159-65.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of performing heavy back squats (HBS) and heavy front squats (HFS) on the average speed during each 10-m interval of 40-m sprint trials. In a randomized, cross-over design, 10 strength-trained men performed a HBS, HFS, or control treatment before performing three 40-m sprint trials separated by 3 minutes. The HBS and HFS treatments consisted of performing parallel back or front squats with 30%, 50%, and 70% of the subject’s 1 repetition maximum after 5 minutes of cycling. The control treatment consisted of cycling for 5 minutes. The sprint trials were performed 4 minutes after completing the HBS, HFS, or control treatments. Significant increases in speed were found during the 10- to 20-m interval for the HBS compared with the control treatment (mean difference, 0.12 m x s(-1); 95% likely range, 0.05-0.18 m x s(-1); P = 0.001). During the 30- to 40-m interval, HBS produced significantly greater speeds compared with the HFS treatment (mean difference, 0.24 m x s(-1); 95% likely range, 0.02-0.45 m x s(-1); P = 0.034) and the control treatment (mean difference, 0.18 m x s(-1); 95% likely range, 0.03-0.32 m x s(-1); P = 0.021). The differing effects of the treatments may reflect different levels of muscular activation or different mechanical aspects of the squat exercises. Similarly, the multidimensional nature of sprint running means that other specific exercises may confer improvements in sprinting performance during other intervals. It is suggested that coaches could incorporate HBS into the warm-up procedure of athletes to improve sprinting performance.

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I would actually like to give this a try at some point in the future, but unfortunately facilities prevent me from doing so. Having said that, I do like to use altitude drops (both standard and into a split squat) before sprints as a potentiator.

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Thanks! this is directly linked to my dissertation idea’s being discussed in another thread!

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I know Eric Cressey often has his basketball players do their heavy squats before they play or do their intense skill work on the court. Then after they play, they come back and do their lower assistance stuff after. Maybe he was onto something…

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Like many studies…I wonder how researchers think…5 min bike??why not a warm up classical for track? 40 m without warming up…also, how many reps?how fast?load too low to elicit potentiation?Results can be given just from an additional full range warm up, also neural activation not possible from 5 min bike…
Not well planned study, IMHO.
(off course this is the abstract, so maybe in the full article there is number of reps specified?)

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And the athlete level, - we’ve gone through this stuff before many times. works for low level people but not high level

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I know the thing with Ben was proven incorrect. However, did we get ever get a final answer on the following from the old forum:

As crazy as this sounds, I know of two very well known individuals in the world of strength training/periodization and track and field who say that they were both informed by Pfaff himself that Bailey performed 10 singles on back squat at 90% of his 1rm for the lift underneath the Atlanta stadium hours before the final. I do believe they had weight facilities at the stadium. They obviously could not confirm that it occurred but swear this is what they were told.

Charlie, what would you think of lightly resisted sprints with a sled, isorobic, weighted vest, or even heavier trainers as a method for potentiation?

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I’ll try to re-check my sources for this info but that’s what I was told regarding Bailey’s pre-race prep. Again, I’m unsure if it happened but I’m sure that’s what I was told.

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twhite, what other site does Kelly post on?

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Wannagetfast

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Wannagetfast

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CF WROTE:
And the athlete level, - we’ve gone through this stuff before many times. works for low level people but not high level
Reply With Quote

Hi, is there a thread where you explain what stimulatory methods you have tried with elite athletes? if there is no such thread:

what stim methods have you tried? if you have time, what was the protocol?

if you say those methods do not work, it would be interesting to note which methods you have tried that did not have any effect.

thanks,

adarqui

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Another piece of vile from the J of strength and conditioning. Too few subjects 10. The control group cycled for 5 minutes. Of course the BS group will show faster times. Why make the control group do plyometric jumps or normal sprint warm up and compare FS & BS v these groups.

It is suggested that coaches could incorporate HBS into the warm-up procedure of athletes to improve sprinting performance

No, it should be that BS are preferable after cycling for 5 minutes for 40m sprint times. That’s all they have showed.

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Sometime in the mid-ninetees, I observed Dennis Mitchell’s warmup for a race in Cologne, Germany. He did a relatively large number of resisted sprints using an elastic band. He didn’t seem to go all out on these or any other of his warmup runs, though, not even on his practice starts.